A man who had to have his leg amputated following a motorbike accident has made it through to the finals of a national award after launching his own business.

Tony Weakford, 37, from Eastbourne, took up leatherwork as a form of occupational therapy following the accident in 1991, which resulted in months of corrective surgery.

Friends and family were impressed with his skills but it was not until his father died, about a year ago, that Tony seriously considered turning his hobby into a business.

He knew nothing about running a business but a disability adviser at his local JobCentre steered him towards the New Deal for the Disabled scheme and he has never looked back.

The scheme provided a mentor who gave Tony basic advice and enrolled him in a variety of business courses, while Tony took himself off to a computer course.

Eventually he found space in the craft workshop at the Bentley Wildfowl Reserve, in Lewes, with good wheelchair access and officially opened The Leather Design Studio in April.

Since then, Tony has never had a day without work and he is supplying an increasingly diverse range of clients, from clothing boutiques to the Royal Shakespeare Company.

This week he won £1,000 for his business after being chosen as a national finalist in the Trading Places awards, backed by the Department for Work and Pensions' New Deal programme.

Now he hopes to scoop the top prize of £7,000 when he joins 11 other national finalists at a gala luncheon at London's Cafe Royal next month as part of National Enterprise Week.

Tony has plans to expand the business, buying more specialist equipment and taking on a trainee, also moving into more unusual and creative areas of leather design such as interior design and sculpture.

He said: "It's so rewarding to make something with your hands and get commissions for your work. I want to get to the stage where I can employ people. It would be really nice to build a little team here and help get some countryside industry back into Sussex."

The Trading Places Awards aim to recognise efforts of unemployed people who have set up their own business and successfully transformed their lives.

Minister for work Jane Kennedy said: "Tony is an inspirational example of someone who has overcome personal adversity and been brave enough to set up his own business from scratch.

"The quality of all entries was outstanding and we congratulate Tony on his success in reaching the top 12. We hope recognition of his story will inspire other budding entrepreneurs in Sussex."